Local shoppers pinch and save
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Food prices, economy leave many shopping for deals
With the economy and job market still shaky, many shoppers look for value in the grocery aisles.
“It’s just being smart about what you buy and watching what you buy,” said Rebecca Ogilvie.
According to Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, world-wide commodity prices of dairy, cereal, meat, oil and fats, and sugar all reached their highest prices since 2008 in 2011.
The prices have been felt locally.
“It’s been consistently going up in the last five years,” Ogilvie said.
With five children from ages 3 to 16, Ogilvie has budgeted her family’s food costs to save money to use on other things. In recent months, Ogilvie said she’s noticed food prices climbing.
The Ogilvies don’t make upper-management salaries, so it’s important to budget and shop within their means. Ogilvie is starting as the music teacher at Lyle Public Schools, and her husband, Tom, is the pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church.
“It just means that we’re very economical with the bulk of our shopping,” she said.
The Ogilvies are not alone.
Eat in
When it comes to saving money on food, it’s all about the little things.
Ogilvie said she and her family limit how often they eat out, and they try to curb costs when they do. If the Ogilvies order pizza, they try to use a coupon for $3 off from Papa Murphy’s.
“It’s just little things like that,” she said. “We don’t eat out a ton.”
To save money on food, Super Fresh owner Jim Stiles said one of the simplest ways to save is to eat in rather than dine out.
“The biggest thing people can do to save money on their food bill is eat at home,” Stiles said.
“The price will always be lower when you do it at home,” he added.
Food is still a great value if people prepare at home and eat in, according to Stiles.
“It’s so much more economical to buy produce in your stores, in the farmer’s market or wherever,” Stiles said.
On top of affordability, Stiles said shoppers can often target healthier foods in stores.
For example, Super Fresh sells grass-fed meat, eggs and butter from local farmers. While local food may cost a bit more, Stiles said it’s worth a little bit more to know where food is coming from.
“We just try to give people a good value,” he said.
Plus, Stiles said locally-based food is healthier because farmers don’t use antibiotics or steroids in the food.
“They know it’s better for you,” he said.
Feeling the pinch
Higher foods prices have affected businesses, as well as individuals. Super Fresh Bakery has felt the pinch from food costs. Stiles said the cost of sugar and flour has increased about 25 percent, which has affected a staple product: monster doughnuts.
“Minnesota’s biggest doughnuts use a lot of frosting,” he said.
The higher cost of ingredients led Super Fresh to raise the price on oversized doughnuts, but Stiles said the price is still reasonable.
“They’re still a great value,” he said of their sugary treats.
Flour and sugar aren’t the only food items straining wallets these days. Increased costs have been present locally, as Stiles said even seasonal produce like corn and potatoes have been higher than average.
“Everything has just stayed pretty high,” he said. “Even green beans — which should be pretty plentiful right now — are pretty high.”
Much of the increased costs stem from demand, as Stiles said weather — excessive heat and flooding — caused some food prices to go up. At the same time, he said other foods have been reasonable.
Moderation
After the price of meat went up, Ogilvie said her family reduced the amount they eat by a little bit.
“It just means that we don’t eat quite as much of it,” she said.
The family doesn’t purchase prime cuts of meats unless it’s for a special occasion, and they instead focus on more modest cuts of meat for summer cookouts.
While Ogilvie said Aldi often has cheap prices, she noted that Hy-Vee often has good sales.
“Sometimes they have some very, very good sales,” she said.
She once found a deal for 10 pounds of M&Ms for $10, and she said she often finds soda on sale.
But, she said she shops around.
“You can’t assume one store is consistently going to be the lowest,” she said.
But Ogilvie has had little time for the couponing fads publicized by cable television networks. Most coupons are for items she and her family don’t need.
“The majority of the coupons are for things we never buy,” she said.
Coupon hunting, Ogilvie said, can become more of a hobby than an actual savings.
“You need to be smart about things,” she said.
While the Ogilvies shop for deals, the family is never short on food.
“We certainly don’t deprive ourselves of things,” she said. “It just means we have a little more money to free up.”
It’s just a matter of shopping smart.
“You just have to watch it all around,” she said.
Ogilvie also said she’s a label reader.
“I like to know what my family’s ingesting,” she said.
Outside the expiration date
By being less stringent to a product’s sell-by date, Helen Groen has been able to buy many items at reduced prices.
“A lot of it is a sell-by date, but the use-by date is often different,” she said.
That’s not to say Groen is buying spoiled food. She buys the foods when they are discounted because the sale date — not the use-by date — is approaching.
Helen Groen said she typically shops between Aldi and Hy-Vee.
“I really watch specials,” she said.
Groen said she’s felt the pinch of higher food prices. Particularly at Hy-Vee, Groen said she’ll watch for specials and sale items.
“Unless it’s a staple thing, I rarely buy anything that’s not on sale,” she said.
Still, Groen said the sales aren’t as good as they used to be, so she’s found other places to save.
As for other ways to save, Groen had simple advice: Go back to the cook book.
“I think people need to go back to basic cooking,” she said.
“If you just do some basic cooking, you can save a lot of money over all these chips and prepackaged things,” she added.
Even though prices may be trending high right now, Stiles said ups and downs are to be expected, and are not entirely uncommon.
“It goes up and it comes down — it fluctuates quite a bit, and it fluctuates every year,” he said.